Numerous studies have shown the benefits of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on the repair of spinal cord injury (SCI) model\r\nand on behavioral improvement, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, to investigate possible mechanisms\r\nby which MSCs contribute to the alleviation of neurologic deficits, we examined the potential effect of human umbilical cord\r\nblood-derived MSCs (hUCB-MSCs) on the endogenous cell proliferation and oligogenesis after SCI. SCI was injured by contusion\r\nusing a weight-drop impactor and hUCB-MSCs were transplanted into the boundary zone of the injured site. Animals received\r\na daily injection of bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) for 7 days after treatment to identity newly synthesized cells of ependymal\r\nand periependymal cells that immunohistochemically resembled stem/progenitor cells was evident. Behavior analysis revealed\r\nthat locomotor functions of hUCB-MSCs group were restored significantly and the cavity volume was smaller in the MSCstransplanted\r\nrats compared to the control group. In MSCs-transplanted group, TUNEL-positive cells were decreased and BrdUpositive\r\ncells were significantly increased rats compared with control group. In addition, more of BrdU-positive cells expressed\r\nneural stem/progenitor cell nestin and oligo-lineage cell such as NG2, CNPase, MBP and glial fibrillary acidic protein typical\r\nof astrocytes in the MSC-transplanted rats. Thus, endogenous cell proliferation and oligogenesis contribute to MSC-promoted\r\nfunctional recovery following SCI.
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